


And they were soulmates!

by icantcountthereasonsishouldstay



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Mostly Canon Compliant, Slow Burn, Soulmate AU, but she will get a redemption arc i promise, i accidentally made gran gran a bitch, your soulmates tribe symbol is on your forearm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2019-12-07 04:05:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18229661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icantcountthereasonsishouldstay/pseuds/icantcountthereasonsishouldstay
Summary: Oh my God, and they were soulmates!Soulmate AU where your soulmate's tribe symbol is on your forearm.





	1. Chapter 1

Zuko knew his father thought this mission was impossible. Fine. He’d prove Ozai wrong and take his rightful place in the palace. He just had to find the avatar first. Leaning over the bow of the ship, Zuko caught a glimpse of the blue mark on his forearm. Zuko hated it. As if he needed  _ another  _ reminder of what a failure he was. Looking at his mark, Zuko thought back to when Iroh had first told him what soulmarks were.

 

_ “Uncle, why is there a water tribe mark on my arm? And why does my father hate me for it?” _

 

_ “It is your soulmark, Zuko. It means your soulmate is of the water tribe.” _

 

_ “No! My soulmate can’t be water tribe! Is that why he hates me?What about Azula? She doesn’t have one! Is that why he loves her more than me?” _

 

_ “Listen, nephew. There is no shame in your mark. It is beyond your control. Besides, you are the first member of the royal family to have the mark of the water tribe! You have finally done something your sister has not. Hasn’t that always been your goal?” _

 

_ “This is different, uncle! My soulmate is water tribe! That’s worse than not having one! Is it bad to not have one?” _

 

_ “That depends on who you ask. The air nomads and fire nation think no mark is a good thing. The air nomads thought worldly attachments needed to be let go of, including romantic relationships. The fire nation believes that no mark means you have power. Not even love could sway you from your duties.” _

 

_ “So Azula gets lucky again, and I’m stuck with this stupid thing that will probably ruin my life!” _

 

_ “Maybe so. Hopefully, someday you will see it for the blessing it is.” _

 

_ “Well, how will I even know when it happens?” _

 

_ “It will start glowing when you first touch them.” _

 

“Are you hoping you’re going to meet your soulmate, nephew? We are in water tribe territory.”

 

Zuko jumped. He forgot how quiet and sneaky Iroh could be when he wanted to be.

 

“No, uncle. I’m just reminding myself of everything I’m going to have to overcome to restore my honor.”

 

“You always look so pained when you see your mark. Why remind yourself of your pain?”

 

“I’ve told you this before, uncle. I must confront my shame to remind myself of why I am here.”

 

“Neither your scar or soulmark is shameful, Prince Zuko.”

 

Zuko sighed in annoyance.

 

“Did you come up here for a reason, uncle? Or just to give me one of your speeches?”

 

“Actually, I came up here to invite you to play Pai Sho with me and some of the soldiers. Would you care to join?”

 

“Not tonight, uncle.”

 

“Okay, nephew. If you change your mind, you know where to find me.”

 

As Iroh descended down the stairs to go below deck, a flash of light lit up the sky.

 

“Uncle, it’s the Avatar!” Zuko yelled, before barking orders at the soldiers and crew to follow the light.

 

For the first time, Zuko had real hope he’d be able to return home and restore his honor.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They find Aang. That's pretty much it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tbh, I don't remember exact dialogue and certain plot points from the show, so it's gonna be kinda canon compliant but not really. Also, this is unedited and unbeta'd.

Katara remembered when her grandma had told her about soulmates.

 

_ “Soulmates are incredibly important, Katara. It’s the person you will spend your life with. I know it’s upsetting-” _

 

_ “Upsetting? My soulmate is fire nation! They killed mom! I could  _ never  _ love someone from the fire nation!” _

 

_ “I know Katara. You didn’t let me finish. I know it’s upsetting that your soulmate isn’t water tribe, but you can  _ never  _ be with a member of the fire nation. Soulmate or not. Do you understand?” _

 

_ Katara nodded. _

 

_ “Good. Here.” _

 

_ Kanna handed Katara a blue ribbon. _

 

_ “Keep it hidden. Don’t let anyone know.” _

 

_ Katara nodded again. She understood. In fact, she was relieved. She would  _ never  _ have anything to do with the people who killed her mother and were still waging war on the world. _

 

The boy fell out of the iceberg and into Katara’s arms. Sokka, being Sokka, immediately went for his spear. 

 

“Put that away, you idiot! You’re gonna hurt yourself!”

 

“Katara, I have to protect you from danger,” Sokka said, wildly gesturing to the boy with his non-spear hand, “We have no idea who this is! He could be a murderer!”

 

“You need to calm down.”

 

The boy started to stir, and Katara shifted her attention from her brother to him. As he started to wake, he shifted, and she saw the earth kingdom symbol on his arm. She was even more confused than before. He clearly wasn’t earth kingdom, which meant he was like her! His soulmate was different than where he was born too! Of course, his soulmate wasn’t from an insane, genocidal war nation...Katara shook herself out of her thoughts. Take care of the kid, then ask him about the mark. Suddenly, he woke up.

 

With a groan, he asked, “Where am I?”

 

“I’ll ask the questions around here! Who are you? Where are you from? Are you working with the fire nation?”

 

Katara rolled her eyes.

 

“Don’t mind him. I’m Katara, and this is my brother, Sokka. You’re at the south pole.”

 

“Oh boy, the south pole!? Can we go penguin sledding??”

 

“What’s penguin sledding?”

 

Before the boy could answer, the ice rumbled and started to crack. Katara and Sokka screamed, as the boy flew up and screamed “Appa!”

 

Wait, flew? Katara was even more confused. The only way he could do that was if...no. That couldn’t be possible, but then she saw it. A flying bison. The boy was an air nomad. She looked over to Sokka. He was so surprised he had dropped his spear.

 

“So, who are you exactly?” Katara asked.

 

“I’m Aang.”

 

“So...you’re an airbender?” Katara asked, still not quite believing it.

 

“Yup! Can we go penguin sledding now?”

 

Katara and Sokka looked at each other. Sokka just shrugged. He was just as confused as she was. After a few seconds, Katara finally answered.

 

“Okay, but we have to stop by our village first.”

 

“Okay!” Aang excitedly exclaimed, leaping into the air and onto the flying bison.

 

“Hop on! Appa doesn’t bite!”

 

“That’s what you want us to think,” Sokka muttered.

 

Katara elbowed him, and said, “Thank you, Aang. Get on, Sokka.”

 

They got on the bison and headed towards the village. As they flew away, Katara had a weird feeling that this was either the beginning of something exciting or the end of life as they knew it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Penguin sledding and attack of the fire nation


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kanna talks to Aang and her grandkids. I suck at summaries, sorry dudes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lmao, remember how I said that this chapter would have the fire nation attack? Yeah, I'm a dirty rotten liar. Next chapter I promise!

Kanna was waiting for them when they got back to the village.  She had seen the flash of light and knew something had happened. She knew the fire nation was prowling the waters near their village, and if that wasn’t them, it would certainly draw them to the village. Especially now that the men were gone. Kya had already been killed, and Hakoda was who-knows-where. The kids and the village were all she had left. So when she saw the flying bison, she knew there was gonna be trouble. She had never actually seen one, but she knew what they were, and more importantly, who they associated with. There was no way, unless...no. It wasn’t possible. The Avatar was gone. 

 

As they landed, Kanna kept her distance. She knew it wasn’t the fire nation but better safe than sorry. As her two grandchildren climbed down, she frowned. She knew something must have happened to the canoe, but getting onto a flying bison with a stranger was incredibly dangerous. Then, she saw the stranger. He couldn’t be more than twelve, and he was clearly an air nomad. Kanna knew this would change everything. On the small chance he wasn’t the Avatar, the fire nation would still want him dead. Her frown deepened. She couldn’t justify turning in a child, but she couldn’t let the fire nation torch the village either. As he hopped off of the bison, she slowly approached.

 

“Hello, young one. Who are you?”

 

The boy cheerfully smiled and introduced himself.

 

“I’m Aang! I’m an airbender!”

 

“We found him trapped in an iceberg, Gran Gran,” Katara said.

 

“And how did you get him out?”

 

“Well-” Katara started, only to be interrupted by Sokka.

 

“It’s Katara’s fault! She was playing with her magic water, and she hit the iceberg! It cracked, we found a kid and an air buffalo-”

 

“It’s an air bison, actually! His name is Appa, and he’s my best friend!” Aang excitedly interrupted.

 

Sokka paused in annoyance, then continued.

 

“We found a kid and  _ Appa _ , and now we’re back. Again, it’s Katara’s fault,” Sokka said, pointing to her.

 

“It is not!”

 

“Is too!”

 

Kanna shushed them.

 

“No arguing. We have bigger problems right now, but we are going to talk about the waterbending later, Katara,” Kanna scolded.

 

“Now, Aang. What happened to you? And do you know where the Avatar is? It’s been a hundred years since anyone has seen an airbender.”

 

Aang shifted, uncomfortably.

 

“I, uh, don’t know. I was riding Appa, and then I was waking up here,” Aang said, avoiding eye contact.

 

Kanna wasn’t stupid. She knew Aang was the Avatar. No normal air nomad could survive in an iceberg for one hundred years. But she understood why he would lie. He was just a child and didn’t deserve the pressure being the Avatar in the current world would bring.

 

“Okay, Aang. Why don’t you spend some time with my granddaughter while I consult with the other elders.”

 

“Okay! Katara, can we go penguin sledding now?”

 

“I’m sorry, penguin sledding?” Kanna asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Yeah!” Aang exclaimed.

 

“You find a penguin otter, and you ride on their backs down a hill!”

 

Kanna sighed and said, “Okay, just be careful. We’ll meet again later to discuss what will happen next.”

 

“Yes!” Aang yelled, flying into the air. He grabbed Katara and started dragging her to where he had seen the penguin otters.

 

Kanna sighed again. If this child really was the Avatar, they might be doomed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Penguin sledding, talk about soulmates, and attack of the fire nation (for realsies this time)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Zuko sails towards the southern water tribe, Katara and Aang have a conversation on the beach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What up friends, long time no see! Just finished school so (hopefully) I'll be writing more!

Unbeknownst to the water tribe, Prince Zuko was sailing right towards their village. As they neared the village, Zuko stood on the upper deck and couldn’t help but think about what Iroh had said about meeting his soulmate. It wasn’t fair. Most people got to be excited to meet their soulmates, but all he had was dread. If he met her, they would never get along and hate each other. But if he didn’t, he would never get to meet the one person who was perfect for him. It was a lose-lose situation. He couldn’t focus on that, though. He had to focus on the Avatar. Finding him. Catching him. Restoring his honor. Much easier said than done. Zuko left the deck and went to his quarters. Dwelling wasn’t going to help him. As he tried to sleep, he felt a weird pull towards the direction they were sailing in. Zuko ignored it. He knew what it probably was, and he refused to accept it. He did let himself be a little excited, though. He’d at least get to know who she was, for better or worse.

 

Katara stood on the shore of her village, practicing her bending. She didn’t know why, but she felt drawn to the ocean more so than usual. It wasn’t a full moon that night, so she had no idea why the pull kept getting stronger. She didn’t really care though. No one was around, and she could practice her bending undisturbed.

 

“Hey, Katara!”

 

Katara sighed. So much for undisturbed.

 

“Hey, Aang. What are you doing up?”

 

“Couldn’t sleep. What are you doing?”

 

“Just practicing my bending.”

 

“Oh cool! Isn’t bending fun?”

 

“It would be more fun if I was better at it and had a master to learn from.”

 

“There are no masters here?” Aang asked, clear concern in his voice.

 

“No. The fire nation came when I was little and killed them all. Except me,” Katara said, holding back tears. She remembered the day her mother was killed like it was yesterday. It wasn’t a day she liked to think about, and she hoped Aang would let it go.

 

“Oh. So where is the nearest master?” Aang asked in a more interested tone than Katara expected.

 

“At the north pole. Why do you care so much though? You’re not a waterbender,” Katara asked, trying to figure out Aang’s reasoning. Was he just making small talk or could he be...no. It was crazy. The Avatar would have to be over a hundred by now, if he was even still alive.

 

“Uh...just making small talk,” Aang sputtered out, trying to come up with another topic quickly.

 

“So, why haven’t you gone to this master yet? It sounds like it would be good.”

 

“My grandmother would never let me leave. Women here are supposed to find their soulmate, get married, and start a family. No room for bending or-” Katara cut herself off. She almost slipped about her soulmate. Well, if anyone would understand about being an outsider, it would be Aang.

 

“Or what, Katara?”

 

“Someone with a soulmate from the fire nation,” Katara explained, pulling back the ribbon she usually kept wrapped around it.

 

“Soulmates are a big deal, and we’re expected to have soulmates from the water tribe. Even having an earth kingdom soulmate is considered undesirable, let alone the fire nation. Given our history with them, it was better to lie and say I didn’t have one. At least that way, I could be paired with someone else who didn’t have one.”

 

“Why is having no soulmark better than having another tribe’s mark?”

 

“Because if you end up with someone, you’re not ‘fighting destiny’ as Gran Gran likes to put it.”

 

“But wouldn’t pairing you off be fighting destiny?”

 

“Yes, but it’s better than admitting my soulmate is fire nation. What about the air nomads? What were their views on soulmates?”

 

Aang shrugged.

 

“Monk Gyatso always said soulmates were important, but we needed to learn how to let go of worldly attachments, including romance. No marks were better, but if you found your soulmate, it was never a bad thing to want to be with them. You just couldn’t truly live the air nomad way.”

 

“Did they care if your mark was outside of the nomads?”

 

“Not really. My soulmate is earth kingdom,” Aang said, showing Katara his mark, “and no one cared. They just said I’d never be able to act on it because I’m-”

 

Aang cut off. He wasn’t ready to tell her his secret yet.

 

“Because you’re what Aang?”

 

Nothing,” Aang said quickly.

 

Before Katara could press, she realized the sun had started to rise.

 

“Oh wow, it’s morning. Come on Aang, we should get back before-”

 

Katara cut off, noticing what she hadn’t seen before: A fire nation ship headed straight towards them.

 

“Come on, Aang, we have to go!” Katara said, grabbing Aang’s hand and pulling him towards her home. 

 

“The fire nation is heading right towards us, and we need to warn the elders!”

 

As Katara ran away from the shore, the pull she had felt got even stronger, and she suddenly realized what it was. Her soulmate was somewhere on that ship, about to attack her and her people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Zuko and Katara finally come face to face, and we learn more about Sokka's soulmark


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko confronts the water tribe, and we learn about Sokka's soulmark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it's been so long, guys! Life and all that jazz.

_ “Oh, this is a great disappointment,” Gran Gran said, shaking her head. _

 

_ Sokka looked at his mark. Earth kingdom. As son of the chief, he was expected to carry on the line through a soul match. Instead of feeling excited like most people got to feel, all he had was dread. And disappointment. So, he threw himself into being the best warrior he could be. His soulmark might be a disappointment, but he wouldn’t be. Sure, he would still be expected to marry, probably to a woman without a mark, to carry on the line, but he was going to make sure that he was worthy of being chief and that his son would be too, despite not coming from a soul match. _

 

Finally, Sokka’s time to prove himself had come. He put on his armor and war paint and went to go meet the fire nation. To Sokka’s disappointment, he got taken out by the boy with the scar almost immediately.

 

“Attention, southern water tribe. I am here for the Avatar. Surrender him and no one will get hurt. He’d be at least this old,” he said, pulling Gran Gran out from the crowd by the collar of her dress, “or older.”

 

“Gran gran!” Katara cried out.

 

Zuko looked to the girl who had cried out, and he froze. The first thing Zuko noticed how blue and beautiful her eyes were. That’s when he noticed the pull he had been feeling seemed to lead right to her. Zuko snapped himself out of it. He couldn’t waste time on potential soulmates. Not when he was on a mission to restore his honor.

 

“No one wants to cooperate? Well, if you won’t cooperate, I guess I’ll just have to-”

 

“Wait!” Aang yelled, appearing from the crowd.

 

“I’m the Avatar.”

 

Zuko looked at Aang incredulously.

 

“But you’re just a kid!”

 

“And you’re just a teenager.”

 

“I’ve been preparing my entire life for this moment. You won’t escape, Avatar,” Zuko said, preparing to fight.

 

“Wait! If I agree to go with you, will you leave them alone?”

 

Zuko glanced back to the girl who might be his soulmate.

 

“You have my word. No one will be hurt.”

 

“Okay, then let’s go.”

 

As Aang was escorted onto the ship, Katara yelled out to him.

 

“Aang, please don’t do this!”

 

“It’ll be okay, Katara. I promise.”

 

Katara. So that was her name. Not that it mattered. Zuko had more important matters to attend to. His honor was finally going to be restored.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tbh, I'm still deciding where exactly I wanna go with the next chapter.


End file.
